New England Tour- Vermont

We got into Vermont after dark so we had to wait until morning to really explore. We stayed in Burlington, a little city on Lake Champlain across which are the Adirondack mountains- so pretty.

It was a cold and windy day!

We went shopping downtown on Church Street, a fun quaint area bustling with college students and tourists

It was also fun to discover a whole new food culture in New England- featuring local fresh products from the nearby farms. Almost everything we ate we knew where it came directly from, even in the restaurants! The food was also much simpler, which I loved. I didn't have an over seasoned meal and could taste each ingredient.

In Vermont we stayed at a culinary inn with two restaurants and a bakery where everything was made fresh daily. They also had cooking classes everyday! Unfortunately they were a little too pricey :) $300 a person was too much ( u think?) So we had our own culinary adventures for the day

This is the Inn, so charming! It also had it's own veggie and herb gardens to supply the restaurants.

First we went to the Lake Champlain Chocolate Factory where we had a tour and tasting and a fun lesson on how chocolates are made. The factory uses 100% natural ingredients and as many local ingredients as possible. The chocolates were amazing, very high quality and unique. It may be the best chocolate I have had. Check them out and order some for yourself! 

Then we took a short scenic drive around a cove and landed at Shelburne Farms- A 1400 acre sustainable farm and a Vanderbilt Estate serving as a private getaway. This place was fascinatingly gorgeous! I was ready to move in. When the farm was created, the family hired a scenery painter to "design" the landscape to ensure that no matter where you stand on the property you have a picture perfect view.  

This is the barn which now serves as the cheese factory, bakery and school where children are brought in for a few days at a time and are taught about sustainable farming in a hands on way. 

While touring the barn it actually started to snow! It was quite cold as we drove around in the tractor pulled cart but it was so pretty that we didn't mind. Locals come jog the trails and I was a little jealous to have this place in my neighborhood :)

Next we went inside the estate house now serving as an inn with all the original books, rugs and furniture. All the flowers were from the grounds and the building is heated from wood from the trees on the property.

As we passed through the dining room we discovered that they still had 2 spots left for that evening- of course we made reservations! Especially after finding out that all the food on the menu comes from the farm. There is a 7 acre organic veggie garden, fresh lamb ( pictured above, yikes!) and beef and fish, bread from the bakery and butter from the dairy cows we met :)

This is the estate which sits right on the lake-

Such a special place!